Kay-MaaN

Religion and Groupism - Failings

2012-01-26T02:55:00.000-08:00

While watching the Malayalam news channels, I came across this news headline that read that the High Court of Kerala had issued an order that any mass gathering of religious nature (Pentecostal uber-noisy orgasmic crowd) need to get prior permission before staging anything of that kind. This recent mass-hysterical wave has been going on for a while and I do not have anything against it. But, this only denotes how much under-civilized we are and how low we are in terms of thinking?

Before some of you issue a fatwa or call me a kafir for being a non-believer. Let me dish out a few specifics. I am only a Christian nomenclature-wise. Because you morons called society exist and because you will not leave or spare my family - I still continue to look like I follow the church. In all honesty, I despise the church and its ways. If Jesus had a way, he would come down on all the Christians like a Rambo or Arnie and wipe the entire human race out. Certain religious organizations have started using money and other goodwill measures not only to harness members but also as a publicity stunt. This very statement of mine will make me a target for many out there.

A word to the wise - all the people out there love to hail any historic hero or god figure - but will you understand and follow the principles laid down by those individuals - uhhh , hmmm , what principles? He said so, so lets do so!! This attitude irks me to the max, so all of you religion-lovers would follow a religion that was pushed down to your throat, not question it and thus blindly advocate the same even if it means bringing an end to peace by starting conflicts. If you think the Government is the only institution that is corrupt, look at the money collected at religious places, regardless of the religion - be it Christian, Hindu, Muslim or Jewish or any other damn thing. Religious sites have become money-churners - religious tourism of sorts. And what's even more funny about us Indians - we like to brandish each others' religion while not being able to respect the same. I think the reason is your blind belief that your religion is the only right thing and every other doctrine is wrong and is propagated by wrong reasons.

In a way more than self-discipline, each and every one of you allow religion to dictate terms. Your responsibility and your impending actions on many issues as such are suddenly left to God's will. God, I believe has given you enough wisdom to think, decide and choose the way you live life. Every other line of thought these days is beginning to confound me to a great extent. I believe religion has grown like a cancer, a tumour, so large that it is not just ready to consume your character, but steal your senses and logic and eventually control you. So that you always continue to live in a state of fear ...

And then, after all this debate, we are not here forever, what are we pursuing (yeah, maybe has an account book saying, Mr X should pursue this, leave the others alone). This is why I felt the movie The Adjustment Bureau had a little bit of sense in what it tried to convey. Well then, not many will get this anyways .. have a great day :)

Regards

Kenny

The Pune Trip

2012-01-16T03:20:00.000-08:00

The CMF and CAB conference took place at the CAB (College of Agricultural Banking) Campus, Pune on the 9th and 10th of January.

I left for Pune from Madras on the 8th, Sunday morning. The flight was scheduled at 11.40am. Not trusting the roads of this city and the aspirations of a certain political class that would go to any extent to even extol the name of a hailed criminal - I decided to reach the airport by 8.30am or 9am max.

Most people think I am insane and I do not mind them when it comes to time management. I hate being a reason for anything close to the word "late". Its not surprising to find me at a place maybe even two hours before the appointed time as well, not to me at least.

Well, anyways, on my way to the airport, I hate the silence you have inside a cab (taxi). I start a conversation with the driver and nothing better than the topic of 'commuting within the city','politics' and so on. I still remember the accolades I received from a taxi driver on an earlier trip when I told him that if things go at the current rate, we may soon see Vijaykanth as a CM. I meant it to be a sarcastic remark but the man fell for it and praised my views. People, I say !!

I reached the airport and waited for my team mates and my boss. They were right on time. As we waited at the lounge, the girl child of one of the researchers found me interesting. A 14th month old doll, I was then told by her parents that she loves to get the attention of anyone sitting next to her. Thus began the catchphrase, "Where's Kenny?", it was funny. Every time, the girl (accompanied by parent) passes by me, the question would pop up, "Where's Kenny?" She would look around and on seeing me, Mission Accomplished. Reminds me of Peek-A-Boo I guess. At least it wasnt "OMG, they killed Kenny". That line was definitely getting old. The flight trip was amusing as always.

The good-looking air-hostess approaches my seat and then looks right at me. "Good morning Sir, I am Ms ......... and since you are seated in the middle of the flight and thus close to the emergency door, I shall give you the instructions in case we have to land somewhere" I dont know how but my immediate reply came with a smile, "God forbid!!" She smiled back saying, "Yes sir, I share that feeling". That light moment was good enough I guess, as I did not pay attention to what she said, just kept looking at her face, her eyes, the amount of unnecessary make-up. Must say, life of an air-hostess must be hard. Pretty as they look or even try to be, sometimes I feel the crowd of this nation deserve the air-hostesses you have in Air India. Just saying !!

Pune reminded me of Bangalore to a large extent. The climate, the roads, the general feel, maybe Pune could do with a lot more greenery. I did not see much of Pune, so people can feel free to call foul play on some of the claims I make about the city. For the record, there are more better looking women there, at least there are places where one can easily spot good looking people. And this has nothing to do with the fair colored Northerners that we South people love to stereotype (Northerners - you fools do it likewise). The girls I liked were all colored like mocha or milk chocolate if you could use such a description. People in Pune do not look at you as if you were unwelcome. They rather are very hospitable. The biggest relief I got was seeing a meter work on an auto-rickshaw - makes sense. Though I also heard, rates still get ill-logical once it become late night. India and its fear of the dark I guess.

Meeting Uncle Bob - spending time with an old man (he's bloody young at heart though) could not have been so good. I met Uncle Bob at MG Road, close to Barista and after a brief walk, the two of us decided that it is better that we spend some time at his place with some good music. Uncle Bob's question, "What's your poison?" made me feel good about drinking to be honest. I decided to stick to wine though. Four glasses of Port Wine, Corn and Cheese Tarts, live music collection of The BeeGees, Queen's live gig at Wembley '86 and tribute concert of George Harrison (former Beatle) at Royal Albert Hall with the likes of Tom Petty, Eric Clapton and many others. I felt like I was privileged that evening listening to actual music. It was by far one of the best Sunday evenings I ever had. Thank you Uncle Bob :D

Later that evening, I get back to basecamp (CAB campus), we regroup and go for the movie Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows (review pending). I was surprised at the large number of couples you get to see in and around a Pune multiplex. In Chennai, its always a sausage-fest [situation wherein majority of the crowd are men]. The conference was a good experience. I enjoyed it pretty much, CAB or RBI's hospitality is amazing. The food at Pune was awesome I must say. On the first evening of the conference, we had a dinner party at CAB. Their hospitality is amazing, the way you treat you, the place looks and has a feel of a five star hotel. Now after three glasses of wine at the party, I was feeling light and happy. Some amongst us were not happy, and at 11.30, when everyone turned to the beds, we hit the road. In unfamiliar territory, there was an air of adventure.

That could be because we were in high spirits as well. However, we started looking for bars in our vicinity. My roommate, lets call him Soza, was super drunk and high already. Spearheaded by Shalli, we (a female called Nahis and a mad German called Max) scoured a street and finally sound Symphony. Two vodka shots and a beer later, we were on the road back again. The kind of shit we spoke and screamed while on the roads man, cant remember half of it - nonetheless we were a happy lot and the following day, we looked at each other at the 2nd day of the conference with an expression that spoke of our efforts in nursing a hangover :)

I must admit - first the Delhi trip and now the Pune one. It was fun as hell and I had a nice time. The flight back was special cause it gave me a first hand experience of what turbulence mid-air is like. It reminded me of a scene of a movie when the narrator has a dream wherein the turbulence gets the better of the plane :)

Till the next trip .. cheers mates !!

Kenny aka Kay-MaaN

The Iowan Friend

2012-01-03T09:39:00.000-08:00

This is about a friend of mine, actually a penpal.

Recently, she gave me a big surprise. A hand written letter and a few gifts...

I do not know how to describe the ecstasy and joy I had when I got the package. But more than anything else, the hand written letter captured my heart, my senses and my soul to be honest. I believe no matter how modern and sophisticated we get, the things we like the best, or make us feel the happiest are quite often the most simple things. I do not know how else to describe it.

The paper folded
With shades of green and purple
Ushered with warmth whilst winter
Darkened life, she has stirred warmth in me

Where there is winter around
She brings in Summer
Where boxes are in black
She covered them with the colors of spring

When I asked how come
And when I questioned why?
All she could tell me was
You deserve it ;-)

Ah, alas there is not more that I can say. Words fail me :D

Love
Kenny aka Kay-MaaN

Looking back, Looking ahead !!

2011-12-30T19:55:00.001-08:00

Yes, the traditional ritual of looking back at the year gone.

Last year, on the last day of 2010, I kind of remember the fact that I was at the Basement, a place where I pretty much underwent quite a lot of things. The place that made the ugly side of me surface, the evil individual who does not value friendship, does not really respect authority, the one who resembles Jack's smirking revenge: the only wish I had was a decent and higher-paying job. Fast forward to 2011, I have a new job, the pay is decent, but as always money and life has a way of making us demand more. I am far from calling myself financially secure :-)

I have made myself socially elusive at work. I guess there is no such thing as workplace friendship for me, such a concept fails to find place in my lexicon or logic. Now, does this make anti-social? Or does that really matter as long as I get work done? I walk alone, I live in an era where men and women measure each other only in terms of how worth they are with respect to a firm or ho deep their pockets are filled with money :) Oh yes,the same bunch of people are perhaps the most perfect hypocrites at art. They make hypocrisy look like an art, perhaps even a science. They all are likely to say, "Life is about how much you love blah, blah, blah" .. Its utter bollocks. For me the right word to describe people, its a simple word called INCENTIVE. All your emotions, all your desires are driven by that powerful sounding word.

Or maybe I am just pissed that I am not able to be like the rest of the people around me. I do not know why people indulge in binge drinking on any given festive occasion. Loud and noisy parties fail my senses - if I partook in any of such in the past, it was just to fit in, truth be told, I am totally against it. My feelings as I view people do it could be compared to how the Terminator keeps asking John Connor about pain and humans.

Leave that aside, I am happy that a few things are beginning to work in my favour. A change in my job, Thank God and all the forces of nature. Breaking ties with people in the media field (yes, a select few ones) made me feel better, it was like finally I gave payback to people who have ill-treated me and did I do that well or not. Enough to make one of those spineless goons claim that he would kill me if he spots me anywhere in the city. I guess I now how celebrities like Salman Rushdie should feel like when you are surrounded by an asinine crowd, guess it also lends to the overall entertainment of the crowd in general. Then, I have hit the gym after nearly 3-4 years. It was painful and still continues to be. A lot of the hatred I had for things in general boils and melts down there, need to keep doing that, have been at it for 4 months so far, lets see how it goes ...

My mom and sisters are with me, a lot better we are than where we were a year ago. We are now far away from those stinking South Tamizh house-owner we had. Our current house-owner is a gem of a person. Goes to say that there are good and bad people within every race and any other distinction. Either we need to aspire to meet such, or we may just need to fine tune ourselves.

All said, 2012 has begun, I do not know what to think, despite being at home for three days, all I could think about the new year is "Yeah, well, I will take it as it comes!"

Hope 2012 brings more of whatever all of you are looking for .. Good luck

Regards

Kenny aka Kay-MaaN

Christmas Tree - The Fun Just Began :)

2011-12-18T12:42:00.000-08:00

Well, Christmas time began around Advent and it is only now that we have started arranging the Christmas tree. Its been a little difficult off late given the kind of internal family dilemmas we are going through [owing to strictly personal reasons] but we are somehow pushing things forward and making things happen. I am posting the pictures of the entire setting up of the tree in stages along with some fun that we had while doing so ...

On the Entrance Door

Work-In-Progress

Illuminated

Ok, it does not look very clear from here, but these dark pictures are the pictures of the Shadow Christmas Tree that me and my sisters conjured from the existing one. The Shadow Tree was on the ceiling. How did we manage that?

Flashlights can come in handy not only for emergencies and powercuts but one can use them for Christmas Theatrics if you can think of something. We placed the flashlight beneath the tree and with minimal lighting around, the effect was in place. However, evil was lurking around ...

Spotted at last .. The Abominable Snowman. Look at that red aura of evil. Damn, he is the new Grinch!!

Wait a minute! Bugger is smiling and was apparently looking for candy. Your presence is the only candy around snowman and that's eye-candy :P

Few more shots of the tree. Apart from the conventional Christmassy items, we used a scented candle, may help in warding off evil spirits. May have to make a Jack-O-Lantern next year ;)

A very Retro feel I guess. This was Daisy's idea. We had arranged the tree twice. First one had to be removed so that this could be done. Daisy is quite the perfectionist, I would say, quite a team member, only if you are willing to put in extra work .. sigh :P We had some foreign influence anyways ??

Jingle Bells ! Jingle Bells !

Phil and Geoff make their mark under my tree

With a Newton's Cradle, Keeping Gravity in Check

And warding off the Christmas Ghost

Who kinda looks like Robbie Coltrane in Blackadder :P

To all my friends out there, here's to a great and fantabulous Christmas ;) Cheers !!

Regards

Kenny aka Kay-MaaN

Tales of Matrimonial Sites and Bride-Hunting !!

2011-12-16T02:44:00.000-08:00

Yeah, I will admit it .. my profile exists in marriage portals and it is not entirely my doing :-/

My mom and sisters are upto this !! Their mission:- to get me hitched within 2 years from now, so they are actually bride scouts now and they have enlisted the help of a few matrimonial sites.

I find a few observations about such sites that are so hilarious that I cannot help myself from citing them here:-

a) Family Origins: Some girls [parents or siblings] have gone to the extent of citing the girl as one that hails from an "Aristocratic", "God fearing" family and so on. Some even mention their family names as if they are the Mughals, Cholas, Cheras, Raos, Mauryas and so on. We live in democratic times I presume, that is until I stumbled across 10 of such instances. Aristocratic families in a time when India is purely a kakistocracy by all means. Kakistocracy:- A system wherein power lies in the hands of people with least principles :-/ Not a good sign eh !! Now, God-fearing, even Red Skull or Loki would not be made to sound so devilishly magnanimous. By God-fearing, these girls want guys who respect or totally see the guy as someone who would royally punish him for his deeds. So what the girls seek is a guy who is scared, someone over whom they can exercise control. Ah, the evil designs of women :P Ok chill now, can't you prefer men who love God for the sake of the Old Man. Word it better please, its a public forum :)

b) Shoddy Preferences: But they are their own preferences. What agitates me is that it defies logic. The partner preferences mentioned in such sites are a clear indication, that it is a market. Marriages are an extension of economic opportunity. Some want a rich bride, some want a rich bridegroom, some want a spouse who is wealth-wise well endowed. Well-endowed physically is no longer a concern, guess these rich jackasses have enough cash to correct such anatomical issues :-/ Another aspect of this dilemma is that a 5ft female wants a 6ft plus hunk [Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries maybe] Also, interestingly to support my economic theory, a female who has a CTC of 2-3 L wants a guy who earns nothing less than 10 or 20 times that amount. Hmmm, wealth maximization using socially accepted loin unification, not bad eh ;)

c) Malayalee Names: I feel sad to talk about this issue. I love Hindu and Sanskrit names, they represent some sort of ancient culture at least. Names of people these days in Mallu-Wood are sadly concoctions of the father's and mother's name. Sometimes, it even looks like the parents are taking out their sexual frustrations on their kids. Names like Sijo, Lijo, Pikachu, Pokemonkutty, Sonu, Soju and so on. It has indeed become the brunt for all Mallu jokes. Omanakutty and what not, Its crazy, Mallus weird sense of humour has often led to their own downfall.

d) Weird Cases: One girl actually describes her family as a dysfunctional one. Yes, she obviously goes on record to state that she loves them. But isnt that in a way sending out a wrong message. By the way, this woman is a Civil Servant, I mean IAS but not so good-looking. You cant get everything in one, can you ;)

This is what I could come up with so far in just two months of being online. My profile is completely managed by my mom and sisters. Apparently, my profile has received three interests and my manager and team have denied all three :-/ I am backed by a good team I guess :P

Regards
Kenny aka Kay-MaaN

Acht Und Zwanzig - 28 Years Old !!

2011-12-08T09:02:00.001-08:00

Yeah, Nov 29 has come and gone !!

There has been a few marginal differences in my life. A better job to begin with and a very relative one to be honest. Living in a nation where we say we are developing, I see prices and the cost of living developing well, very well indeed. The salary you get, remains stagnant like the inundated waters on the roads of Chennai :P The only respite you get is when it all dries up :-/ Well, what one can do is only hope for more. I have heard enough nonsense of this "Do what you love the most" .. I think daring to dream is a good thing, not for me for I have been on a sinking ship for time immemorial. Ah, who cares? No one is going to comment on this post anyways.

From 2007 to 2011, I used a TVS Scooty Pep+, carried the stocky myself and a bunch of many others, significant and insignificant, grateful and ungrateful buggers and buggerines. The vehicle went through hell during my stint as a journalist (oops sorry, as a features writer in The Times of India, Chennai Edition) thanks to my many adventures, it was kinda jagged already during the yipee-ki-yaay Ma Foi days. Anyways, it stood by me through some of the worst years of my life .. Sadly, I had more bad memories with it than good ... As I exchanged it with the TVS showroom for a new bike (TVS Jive - The Clutchless Machine), and I walked out of the showroom to see my old scooter standing there, all I could think was "There ends yet another miserable chapter in my life". My best memory of it would be during the Phil and Geoff Chennai visit - how I took them on it for like 10-15 secs each inside the Taj Coromandel parking lot - that was hilarious ;)

So on my 28th bday, 28 Years Later, I buy a bike - one without a clutch as well :P hehe, I am glad about it. I have remained the same. I am yet to treat colleagues or friends - the only people I have treated so far are my mom, sisters and yeah dad as well. Mentioning anyone else would mean mentioning people who no longer wish to be associated with me, I can understand, you people simply cant stomach the fact that Kenny Kay-MaaN is too awesome ;)

And the awesomeness continues ...

With Lots of Love, Disdain and Total Disregard to a certain select few

Kenny Roger Moise aka Kay-MaaN

Along Came a Good Samaritan

2011-11-27T05:41:00.001-08:00

Long time since I have blogged, its pretty much clear I presume. 2011 has not been that great a year in terms of number of posts on my blog but in sheer terms of interesting accounts that I have had in this year - this is indeed turning out to be one of the turning point years' in my life.

However, coming back to the subject. The recent rains in Chennai have not bode well for us, commoners. The roads have been ravaged, the potholes have got bigger and the driving of motorists have not improved by any measure and what's worse: my four year old scooter who recently surpassed 30,000kms in distance is beginning to lose all sorts of sheen. Giving it for servicing may bring it to life to a large extent, but I get the feeling its nearing its expiry date. My stint at the Times has tested its strength and limits to the most.

Two days ago, when the city was being hammered by the North-Eastern monsoons, I was on my way back home. Half way down the service lane, which lies adjacent to the IT Corridor, OMR Road or Rajiv Gandhi Salai, the vehicle gave up. This time it was clear, the fuel had run out. It is becoming increasingly hard to ascertain when I have to refill my scooter when half of the time, a half tank still is shown as empty. So anyways, its my fault, I can accept that. The rains had yet again succeeded that evening in doing the inevitable. Inundated roads and mad traffic, this made my situation really pathetic as I dragged the scooter along the sidelines. I took my vehicle from ACG to Gandhi Mandappam and went past Dollars and Pounds, IIT-Madras, some Zoo I guess, Hot Chips and what not. The road on this stretch is chronic - its knackered.

While passing by Gandhi Mandappam, I stopped as another two-wheeler was parked in front of me and besides I had to drag it all the way to the junction where Velachery Main Road begins cause that is where one could find a petrol pump. The location of these IT parks, one of which I work in, make no sense when there are limited petrol pumps around or are difficult to reach. The lack of any U-Turns on the stretch from Madhya Kailash to Tidel Park junction itself is laughable. So after a few minutes of a break, I decided to continue dragging my way to the petrol pump. The 30-ish old guy looked at me and asked me what the problem was. He also had a senior citizen with him (dad or uncle - I dunno). When I told him that I was out of fuel, he immediately pulled a 2.5 litre Coke bottle and told me to fill my bike. I was flabbergasted. I did not know how to react. He was quick to add that the Velachery pump was close by. I poured in what would look like a half a litre and he then asked, "Will that be enough?". All I could say in an exasperated breath was "Thank you sir, do I need to pay you?" Till now, I do not realise what made me say that!! His reply was, "I did you a favour. That's all." The old man seated behind him gave a sheepish smile. I thanked them profusely, like an idiot never got to know them better and was on my way back home ...

Life indeed throws us surprises but this one was a very new one for me, strange, I am still recovering from it.

Good Samaritans in Chennai ... rare breed I guess

Regards

Kenny

Civic Duties & Replacement Duties - Do you clean your house?

2011-11-08T03:02:00.000-08:00

(Pic Courtesy: connect.co.in)

For the last few days, Chennai has been repeatedly attacked by mother nature in the form of rains. Not torrential in nature but definitely consistent and that if one is allowed to say is unusual to be honest. Well, as many marvel at the beauty of rains and the magic feel it brings along with it. We are often forced to remember the dirty side of it. The roads and drainage of Chennai city, have shown once again why they are the cancers and tumors of the city's infrastructure.

We live in a time when one Government is working hard to remove, ridicule and destroy and rebuild anything and everything that the previous one has done. Well, considering the pace of infra development in India and Chennai especially, we are in for another stupid phase of governance in Chennai city. What major difference are you going to make by stalling all existing projects for the sake of introducing your own. What the Tamil Nadu government should realize is that if at all they need to be re-elected for the next election, they might as well take measures and build the city in a way that would make something like "living" in it conceivable.

No, that is not possible by the Lady and her bunch of ministers. They wish to reinforce their existence not by good policy and good implementation of the same. They are rather focused on removing and ridiculing the effects of the DMK rule. Yes, the DMK was corrupt beyond measure and they are going through a phase they so well deserve. A lot more can be done to that family in the name of punishment. But, must admit that a few of their ideas was not that bad.

Converting the Anna Centenary Library to a Children's Hospital, Well, can the Government change the fortunes of the existing Govt hospitals? The one in Egmore has enough trouble as it is, in addition to its rich history which is at stake thanks to the ignorance of the authorities. In a society, where every individual lives for himself or herself - is it too much to ask for when it comes to asking for good infrastructure. I think we may as well resign to the fate that Chennai city is not developed in any manner to call it International. All that is been done by the current Govt looks laughable to be honest. Stating that a huge project to wipe out all the other inadequacies are always done with huge fanfare. However, what happens post that is not a new thing for most of us. Improper project management and corruption from both the contractors and the many other people involved. The truth is we are not simple enough to create something beautiful. We love to complicate, for further demonstration of this fact - you need not look further, just look at the matrimonials in any Indian newspaper.

Expecting a clean city, how many of us actually keep our own homes clean? The so called civic sense has to exist at home before its replicated in the city. Cleanliness just like what you learn at school cannot be spoon-fed, no ways. you have to work hard to make your place clean. Likewise when it comes to the city. If the Governments were to pay attention to harnessing the power of waste and other things, we would have enough power to topple whatever capacity Nuclear Power offers. We still rely on manual scavenging - I wonder will there ever be an entrepreneur who could offer the Government an option in sewage clearance and employ the same manual scavengers but get them to do the work using equipment, professionalize them, enhance their economic status by means of regular pay and thus upgrade their living. Answer:- No, they wont, low caste and all that jazz. Whoever said, India has no untouchability should realize that it has only evolved and not removed entirely.

Will things ever change in this country where bit of anti-corruption drive is treated like a celebrity or better a coke bottle - explodes with a fizz and then dies down ...

Regards
Kenny

Kay's Kurrent Fav Tracks !!

2011-10-26T04:04:00.000-07:00

Here are some songs that never cease to make me feel good regardless of what my mood is:-

a) Seven Wonders - Fleetwood Mac

I do not know about most of you but I just simply love Stevie Nicks voice and she looks stunning in the live video. I can keep listening to this track whole day long. Perfect song to listen to while you are relaxing on a holiday or maybe a long drive.

b) Horse With No Name - America

There could not be a better song that could make you reflect more than this one. Not only does it make easy for you to remember all the glory and gore of your past, it somehow takes you through all that and makes you realise that there was some silly reason for all of it. If you cannot find the reason, at least it makes you smile, the reason can be odd but if you can relish it, nothing better.

c) Have You Ever Seen The Rain - Credence Clearwater Revival

A comical reference to the band was made in the movie "Die Hard 4.0" when Justin Long's character asks Det John McClane who the hell the artist on the radio is when they were playing CCR. This particular track was also used in showing how the prisoners play in the mud as part of a practice session in the movie "The Longest Yard" (the one with Adam Sandler as the lead). It has a playful yet very adolescent feel to the song. If you are going through a hard day at work, or a bloody bright day of heat, this song can help in beating the odds for sure.

d) My Girl - The Temptations

Over the years, there has been many a time when I fell for a female and this song would make my day as far as feeling good is concerned. Yes, the feeling was constantly ruined by the female as she was not on the same platform of thinking as I was and hence did not reciprocate. However, the magical feeling of this song remains. Even for singles, this is one track that makes you feel good, the music, the voice .. ah The Temptations, you gotta give in ;)

e) Open Road - Bryan Adams

This is one of the most philosophically feel good songs about life. Worth listening when you are facing the after-effects of a major upset or disappointment or even if you are on a happiness overdrive. In fact, even the video is a definite recommend as far as I am concerned. Yet another song for a long drive for sure, if you are with someone special, the song can definitely be a really positive vibe creator between the two.

f) Path of the Borealis - Half Life 2 Soundtrack - Vicktor Antonov

Very rarely do PC game soundtrack make such a lasting expression. These days, the soundtracks behind some of these games are phenomenal and I daresay even better than movies by a mile. This particular piece appears in the sequel to Half Life, the magnum opus from Valve Software about the alien adventures of a MIT scientist Gordon Freeman. For those who have played the game, this song will definitely make them feel like they are capable of achieving just about anything. For the ignorant, dont worry, this song makes a good track for meditation or just relaxing.

g) All Along The Watchtower - Jimi Hendrix

I hope Bob Dylan fans are not enraged. I love this version even more, it sounds more appropriate when you are high on a certain substance. I love the song whatsoever, regardless of what emotional state as well. The use of the song in the movie "Watchmen" was simply brilliant, it was an amazing scene and moment to behold on the big screen, saw the movie twice on the big screen ;) The use of the guitar in this song is simply phenomenal. I am not a music expert, but I definitely can dig stuff like this any day, any time.

h) Paradise - Coldplay

One of the best recommendations from a good friend of mine who has a great taste for music. The guy is an Indian, but to be honest is an Irishman stuck on the wrong side of the planet. Coldplay's video for this beautiful track is very simple and artistically brilliant. I loved the way the band members masqueraded as elephants and it was excellent from start to end. In a time, when skimpily clad artistes and uber level sci-fi effects are employed in making music videos, this one remains true to the song whose lyrics are worth noting.

i) What a Life! - Noel Gallagher aka High Flying Birds

My friend in the above song, Indo Irish is responsible for telling me about this song as well. It was used recently in the Vauxhall ad promoting England's national football team. Excellent feeling and music from start to end, I bloody loved it. My only wish is that the English football team should win the World Cup and they should probably rely on the youngsters they have in the team, such a group of good talent that is simply not been utilised. This song is definitely a good warm up song for anything positive or just to ideally start your day.

j) Tubthumping - Chumbawamba

The song by the Anarcho-punk band Chumbawamba, I never knew such a genre existed, is easily one of the best songs you can listen to when you are competing, be it against someone else or even oneself. Its the perfect song to listen to once you or your team wins something. Best, listening to this when you are breaking a sweat at the gym: oooh priceless!! The song and the music definitely rises your spirits and the mention of several alcoholic drinks can just make this a memorable one everytime you listen to it.

There are so many other songs but compiling this itself took me a while. Not many artistes make'em songs like these prominently these days. I have also started listening to Ella Fitzgerald, Madeleine Peyroux, Etta James (thanks to a stupid rip-off by Flo Rida in Good Feeling) and Nina Simone - such uplifting music !!

Regards

Kenny aka Kay-MaaN

Series of Bad Weekends

2011-10-23T07:51:00.000-07:00

The title is self-explanatory !!

All my fav teams are not doing well, my life is beginning to disillusioned seriously.

Its a sad sight to see Arab owners in the English Premier League as it is. When they make such victories, it is even worse when fans of all your opponents make stupid comments that go against Manchester United. Not so long ago, an Arab owned team like Portsmouth FC ended up in Administration ..

Today is a really bad day for me ... but we will bounce back ...

Manchester United TILL I DIE !!

Regards
Kenny

Flat-Tire-ulence

2011-10-05T10:02:00.000-07:00

(Pic Courtesy: dirtrider.net)

I know this is now a regular issue with me - flat tires. Yesterday, I had an interesting scenario. A Round Table Conference was scheduled at work at around 10am. I left home which is 15kms away from work (Home - KK Nagar, Work - Taramani). After 10 minutes of driving, the scooter began to salsa on Ramasamy Salai. I was fed up. I had just added a new tube to the back tire three weeks ago. What may have caused the flat-tire-ulence this time around - a one-and-a-half inch freaking metal nail.

Luckily, I was able to find a tire shop around 100 metres away from where I discovered the 5th flat tire for the year 2011, yeah you heard me right, this is the fifth instance this year. The guy repaired the problem thanks to some sticker and I thought I was fine for the day. Now, 9 hours later, I am leaving work and towards the gym. Right at Sardar Patel Road, before the junction that directs one to Velachery, the scooter began to do the salsa again. Yeah, flat tire twice in the same day. It seems not only has the sticker failed, several other holes have sprung up. I drag the vehicle from 100 metres away from Saidapet bus stand and kept moving. I trampled upon some fellow's pitch black bag which I did not notice at the bus stand. I fell on my knees on the road. The bag owner was kind enough to lift me and politely say, "Please be careful, I guess you did not look down".

Finally, found an another tire shop and the guy there was looking mysteriously groggy. After a few "anna" (brother in Tamil) calls, he stands up and then I realise, the tire master has risen from his drunken stupor. He takes half an hour to fix the tire. He did spend more time using the glue and some strong adhesive tape. I say strong cause 24 hours later, I am still able to drive the damn thing. More than a tire, I felt I got a stone in the back cause it was that hard. The drunken master definitely bode me well I guess.

The third occurrence of a flat tire was when I was returning home with mom from Alsa Mall, Egmore. This time, we found the flat right in front of a petrol station. All we had in mind was get home soon. A 14-year-old kid gets me a new tube and yes the vehicle starts on its way home. After four days, while taking my sister to Alliance Francaise - Flat Tire again. Right in front of another Tire Brother. He looks at me and says, "This is an old tire and its totally knackered" I could not do much apart from drop my jaw in surprise and shell out another 300 odd bucks for a new tube. Life has weird ways of putting you down, Chennai's roads have been putting me down way too many times and at a really bad cost.

I may start driving a vehicle similar to the one Fred Flintstone uses in The Flintstones and go screaming at the top of my voice, "Yabba Dabba Doo"as I navigate the unscrupulous roads of this city

Blimey!!

Kenny

Old Guns Still Rock for the Red Devils

2011-09-22T02:37:00.000-07:00

The thing about a club like Manchester United FC is that they have immense strength and character across all ages and across all levels:- be it the youth team, the reserves, the current team or even the aged stalwarts.

No Rooney, No Problem

No Cleverley, No Problem

No Vidic, No Problem

No Rio Ferd, No Problem

We can go on and on. The kind of work ethic that the club has woven in the last three decades is simply the epitome of sports team management. The youth system always succeeds in grooming new talent as well as recognising and rewarding ones that deserve the same. Wonder when any sport for that matter in India would receive that kind of treatment. Though no channel showed (at least with the shoddy ones that I have) telecasted the Carling Cup match between Manchester United and Leeds United, I saw the live text commentary via Goal.com. Images of Jermaine Beckford scoring a freak goal to beat Man Utd in their last encounter were still fresh in my mind. To see that Michael Owen score a brace, followed by a cheeky finish from the old fox Giggs was pure delight within the 1st half itself.

To be honest, I slept off during the second half. Woke up in the morning to see that there was no change in the score on my monitor. I refreshed it, still same, felt good anyways :) I was disappointed that Shrewsbury was not able to spring another upset. They were tied with ARSEnal at Half Time 1-1.

Great Start to the season .. Hoping that the momentum continues :D

Regards

Kenny

A Saturday Like No Other

2011-09-11T07:31:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I mean Saturday was a very different one when compared to the usual routine Saturdays I have had in a long time. For the last two months or so, I have been dropping my sister at Alliance Francaise on the weekends for her morning classes. From 10 to 1pm, I spend my time at Landmark, Nungambakkam unless mom has an errand for me which is not that frequent these days (Thank God!!)

I have not blogged much off late, but cannot let go of this Saturday though just like that. After a lot of texting (if you can call it pleading, mebbe) I get to meet a former colleague of mine. I knew her from my first job where both of us were subjected to innumerable horrors. Well, both of us are at different places right now and definitely much happier than what we used to be. She looked gorgeous for starters, I dont know how better to put it, the only thing that took my mind off that fact could be the sandwich and Movenpick ice-cream that we had at Movenpick (need to curb my gluttonous inclinations, hehe). We chatted at length on many things, even the harsh things that the two of us have been through seen were suddenly looking lighter and we were able to smile about it. Guess that is the essence of tough challenges and pain in life: they are short-lived and if you are still alive, you can always laugh about it :-)

Chicken sandwiches and Swiss Chocolate ice creams were present but the conversation I had with her was much memorable than anything else, beats me why, I dont half remember the ice cream taste now, hehe (ssshhh, it was tasty, thats all I can recall). I am glad that she has through some seriously bad downs in her life and now that her life is looking upbeat, am really glad :) Well, I should be glad for myself too I guess, meeting a good looking girl at a decent cafe with minimal crowd and noise in Chennai - that is not just a blessing, it is almost a miracle I guess. Especially on a Saturday, Yeah !! Was it a date? - I dont want to give it any names, its easy that way - I had a nice time and I believe she did too. Given the fact that the women I have met in life have almost made a misogynist, this girl definitely went against all odds ;) It is really rare to see a combination of good looks and intelligence in a woman - I saw glimpses of that this Saturday, am glad.

Upon reaching home, I was greeted to a great result - Man Utd was leading 2-0 already and then Wazza (Wayne Rooney) added further delight by scoring his second hat trick of the season. Scintillating weekend indeed. Great start to the season by Manchester United, the English teams doing well be it Rugby, Football or Cricket - on the whole things are looking upbeat, I am really happy about this weekend - it was almost like the icing on the cake though I do not wish to go emotionally overboard.

But then, hell yeah, what's wrong in doing so ;) hehe

Regards

Kenny

Politician Punishment

2011-08-27T06:24:00.000-07:00

There may not be nothing new to add to the debate and all the noise that is happening in India as of date. The title of this post may seem similar to the title of a famous adult entertainment site, however, lets not digress :)

How many politicians in India off late have actually undergone trial as well as rigorous punishment for crimes pertaining to corruption? Has the system gone soft? Has its complexity made life simple for these old sods? As days go by, the sounds of an uprising and actual violence becomes increasingly clear and inevitable. The so-called middle class needs to realise that the Government that exists today is a result of people's choices. If its a Telecom minister is to blame for the beginning of the current government's fall, you might as well consider approaching the electorate from where he won the election. How did he win? Did his credentials work or did a plethora of wealth work in his favour?

The Opposition has decided to join the bandwagon against corruption not realising that its own stances on several things in the country itself is doubtful. Double Standards, I believe. Hmmm, some of you may call me a hypocrite but that is my problem, I should deal with it and I am. What about yourself? Do you spend most of your time looking at others' faults, cause most of the people I have come across are of that kind. People that I have met till date have this mob mentality, I belong to a group, wow, a set of like-minded individuals. Its all hogwash, always be individualistic. Even when you wish to be someone who makes use of opportunities, never ever kill your individualism, I had to kill my individualism for a while and the only reason I had was yes: Cowardice and yes when you have some really arrogant, "I am always right" ignorant pricks around you, you have to change your strategy I guess.

As Djimon Hounsou's character says in Never Back Down, "There's a way. There's always a way out and in for many things. You just need to know that" Now, can people can adopt that attitude in a fight against Corruption. The Indian Govt clearly has failed and miserably too. Thanks to some of their elite partners, they have become typical crime bosses. Sitting up in the throne and shouting out orders, the PM of the country is nothing more than a decoy. An honorouble savant of this country, anything but leadership is his forte. Somehow strangely enough, I think we can draw parallels between him and Mohammed Tughlak, however Manmohan is better than him as he has actually done something for us, opening up the economy.

People like A Raja, Kanimozhi, Kalmadi, Sheila Dikshit, Yeddy-Maan continue to actually enjoy life even if it is in prison. Anna Hazare and the entire fiasco over corruption may be a well-intended one. Clearly, our punishment methods need revisiting. Reforming these individuals is a very bad joke and hence executing them especially given the scale of their wrong-doing should suffice. It could prove to be a good lesson and hence prevent further corruption. When every individual knows, okay, corruption has a price and it is a price they can afford, what can guarantee us that they will not do it again? Well, think about it ...

Regards
Kenny

20th Edition of Landmark Quiz

2011-08-15T07:02:00.000-07:00

The Chennai edition of the Landmark Quiz happened today as usual for the last 20 years. This time, I was teamed with the Monarch and PD (Prakash Dharmarajan), who replaced Tyler Durden. It was as always a fun prelims. Sadly, this time again, we lost out :)

This time the quiz decided to use Twitter and Facebook and all that. All the Tweets were broadcasted live on a screen that was placed aside the stage. I must admit on a harsh note that Chennai tweeters or at least a good number of the same are sad. Landmark was playing the video of John Mayer's live concert and it was a nice one.

All the twitterers, most of them being kids preferred some crass vernacular stuff and they made their tastes very vocal. Well, you cant do much about a set of people who feel bad when they are called "dark". When blacks can pride themselves for what they are regardless of the names that were levied upon them, I don't understand why Tamilians need to feel insulted. Why should you feel inferior? Prove your worth with your deeds and make them rewrite or rephrase what they feel. Whining or complaining about what someone said is not gooing to make them change their opinion about you, you are only reinforcing it. Well, for a foreigner, a day in this city would make you dirty and over a period of time- tan or darken the colour of your skin. So? Silly reason to feel all miffed up seriously. All the more the antagonist feelings towards westerners. Somehow, it stems out from a false sense of pride, a pseudo patriotic pride at times. There are reasons for which one may pride being part of this nation, colour my dear friend is definitely not one of them. Man, I have digressed a great deal from where I began.

There were so many sarcastic comments about "figures" - a slang term for chicks. Seemingly, there were an increased number of females as quizzers and this is a very positive sign. Good to see more of them, its a welcome change from the commonly used excuse "Oh, its a quiz, I am not good at it, Its boring .. blah, blah". With respect to looks, I honestly dont think there were any figures in the crowd. Call me blind or whatever, as far I am concerned: it was Nerd Central, aptly put in by one of the participants.

The day at Music Theatre began with the rendition of the National Anthem without the words as orchestrated by a school with children that are differently-abled. It has to be one of the most touching versions of the National Anthem that I have come across off late. It was beautiful and very, very uplifting :) The questions as always were mind-probing, mind-boggling and yes, mind-numbing as well. Our team, Two and a Half Quizzers, did not see past the prelims. Once again, a dim-witted Harry Potter question got the better of us. Man, how can I forget Gellart Grindelwald, Merlin's Beard, should have read the books, dammit. Mentioning Anabolic and not jotting it down - sheer stupidity and lack of adventure on my part. Francium and Gallium derived from France - damn. Alexander Graham Bell taught Helen Keller, wOwie !! The use of "Yen Kadhal Solla Naeram Illae" by the Bangladeshi Cricket Team for its theme song in the WC2011 - Thank God, I noticed this trivia piece during the world cup :P There were many more though ...

We dint wait for Regional Finals or the Nationals as it was tasking from our part and besides have a movie to go to in a short while .. Captain America - The First Avenger. Man, cant wait for The Avengers due next year :) .. ooooo yeah !!!

Regards
Kenny

Korrupshun (Corruption) and the State - So You Think You Can Scam ??

2011-08-08T22:34:00.000-07:00

With the media and the Lokyukta making enough noise in this aspect, there isnt much I can add unless I have some fresh startling facts about another scam or an existing one. Fresh of the shelf, sorry mates, dont have it.

A King and his Tale of Woe: A Raja was perhaps not able to perform his "I am at the right place at the right time" routine when he was caught. And there it began, a never-ending saga with Raja's animated English and what not. By far, this man has entertained us with his relationship with Kanimozhi (no one has come out in the open as to what exactly is the nature and magnitude of it though) He has struck the magic figure of INR 17,000 Crore though. At least, the scam that has made him a national figure amounts to that. He knows he is going down, he is taking down the whole system: the PM as well as Chidamabaram. This saga is far from over and it can only get interesting from here.

Are you Yeddy?: For a long time, I felt oh wow, this man has guts and can stand up to any kind of shit in Karnataka. He must be corrupted too but not as bad as the Bellary Brothers perhaps. He comes out rather clean with a figure of INR 16,000 Crores. The man shows his corrupt nature just like how he shows his good one. Fighting against all odds of impending resignation. This guy shed tears in front of TV thanks to the Bellary Bros. Man, he is a legend. He is a TV Super Star.

Sheila Ki Beimaani: Well, the Iron Lady of Delhi still denies everything, passes it like a Quarterback or a Central Midfielder and is still going strong. She is expected to lead Delhi even 20 years from now. At least, she has not gone against the trend of vehemently denying her role in the whole fiasco. Funny, how someone who always looked like a public favourite suddenly is a fall figure. I won't be surprised that more than half of whatever the CAG has claimed she's done must have been last minute work. Ah, who knows .. The show is slowly picking up ..

Loony Kalmadi: Dementia, yes, just for 24-48 hours and he is fine, up and running again. Whoa, if only our athletes and sportsmen had such ability. This guy is a role model indeed. He made the uncommonly Commonwealth Games happen and alongwith the same, he made a lot of other things happen as well.

I think there are more than enough candidates for a political reality show, well then, we are watching it everyday already on our news channels. Doing something about would mean costing a part of your life or so. Expecting something good to happen soon, is that hope against hoping :P The country is corrupt, women are not safe here, our projection of ourself to foreigners has not been that great. Things are looking bright for a marginal few in the urban-o-sphere. Well, I dont wanna say "Look at the bright side, I am still alive" ...

There are lots of basic things that we can change. Our over-inclination towards our respective religion or caste is somewhere we can begin with. There used to be an India where each member of the family had a unique profession and there was no enquiry of background (caste/creed/religion) when marriages took place. I would really like to take a Time Machine and see what went wrong and where? Perhaps and maybe, that's a big maybe, we can set things proper for the record.

Regards

Kenny

A New Season Begins !! - Man Utd bt Man City 3-2

2011-08-07T22:57:00.000-07:00

It was just another Sunday evening for many, an excuse perhaps to drink like vagabonds and lose yourself to the cops of Chennai who have now started catching people left, right and centre on weekends. But this Sunday was different. I was fortunate enough that Sony PIX was telecasting the Community Shield match live and man, was it worth it.

The Community Shield is usually a curtain-raiser and is played between the Premier League Champions and the FA Cup Winners. Manchester United versus Manchester City - Whoa, the season could not have asked for a better start. The noisy neighbours have been making a lot of noise with some huge buys over the last few months, if not huge at least purchases that looked more like a display of monetary strength than any sense which somehow fails to prevail in anything an Arab is involved in. I do not wish to appreciate the fact that City is a rich club cause at one point of time, Portsmouth were owned by Arabs and look what happened to it.

Anyways, the match was brilliant. The scoreline at the end read 3-2 in favour of the Reds. However, it was not an easy first half as David De Gea made a mistake with the first goal, and he could not do much about the second goal from Edin Dzeko, that was a scorcher and the swerve was good enough to beat De Gea. Anyways, he made some brilliant saves against the likes of David Silva and Adam Johnson. It will take time for the young Spaniard showstopper to make his mark and he definitely will. The three goals from Man Utd, whoa, what can I say. The first one by Chris Smalling a la acrobatic effort in a set-play set by Ashley Young was a treat to watch. The second one by Nani demonstrated why Sir Alex Ferguson deserves to be termed best if not the greatest. His use of youngsters, especially in the likes of Cleverley, Jones and Smalling showed how much pace and heart he has in the squad. The quick killer passes were followed by a beautiful finish from Nani. The third one, thanks to an error by V Kompany (absolutely his fault) could still have been stopped, however Nani's run was brilliant and once again he slotted the ball in the dying minutes of the game to seal it for the Red Devils .. Brilliant Stuff indeed

Glad that the season has begun .. Looking forward to more :)

Glory Glory Man United

Kenny

Hilary Rhoda - Kay's Current Favorite

2011-08-06T01:49:00.000-07:00

I don't think I need to explain. Hilary Holils Rhoda is my favourite model among the CNNSI girls right now. There are others for sure, but this model has definitely caught my eye. Something tells me we may be seeing more of her in the future: movies maybe :) She looks great. Her claim to fame is her appearances for Estee Lauder and her appearances in the 2009, 2010 and 2011 editions of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.

Lookwise, I dunno if my eyes are working right, I see a mix of Angelina Jolie and Megan Fox in this woman. Correct me if I am wrong. Would be great to see her act in movies.

Regards
Kenny

Women Soccer Players

2011-07-19T00:08:00.000-07:00

In the recently concluded FIFA Women's World Cup, there were some amazing performances by a host of teams. But the two teams that stood out was definitely USA and Japan. I am really disappointed at the misfortune of Team USA. I lost count of the number of times the ball hit the post for them. Anyways, when it comes down to penalties, you cant tell much about it. Congrats to Japan, first Asian soccer team to win a major global trophy, not bad, women have achieved it :)

My favourite players on the technical front are Megan Rapinoe and Abby Wambach. There are many others including Homare Sawa, the Japanese captain who led her team from the front. But the two players I feel one must watch out for are: Alex Morgan and Hope Solo. Alex is just 22 years old and I get the feeling she will break all records set by Mia Hamm soon. Hope Solo, the goalkeeper who fought against all odds to get to the team may not be in the best of spirits after the penalty shootout, but she will be back. She's a fighter and her track record definitely justifies that.

Looking forward to more from Team USA in the future.

Alex Morgan, 22-year-old forward

Hope Solo, the US Goalkeeper

Auto-Rogues aka Chennai Auto Drivers

2011-07-16T06:33:00.000-07:00

The above picture sums it up perhaps. You may not have to guess as well. The Evergreen Evil Men of a city like Chennai. Voldemort can be vanquished but nothing and no one can put an end to the evil that is auto drivers based in and out of Chennai. The city's image as it is does not sink well to outsiders given its poor sanitation conditions and the pollution stemming from traffic and what not. Add to that, unruly drivers who would not waste the opportunity to fleece you. For instance: a foreigner who wishes to go from the premises of Tidel Park to Besant Nagar (close to the beach side), it costs roughly between Rs70 and 80, the foreigner gets to hear a fare rate of Rs200 from him. Now what would you tell such a guy? How will you react? Does the colour of your skin decide the fare?

Some of you patriot Indians will definitely be saying something about me like this, "Oh, if its a white-skinned guy, you feel bad, huh?" I dont get this point. They ruled and kept certain rules and regulations, most of it were against us, for sure. Most people cant get the difference between Americans or Brits, let alone the Indians who are born and brought up there. If you think that this a good time to fleece the fair-skinned people, then you may have well accomplished the fact that you are no better than their forefathers. The auto drivers may have demonstrated the racialist abilities that our country has. With enough castes and religions in the country to outrun the number of football clubs (Proper Division) in Europe, we can show ample amount of examples and what not.

Here are some popular things about Chennai-based auto guys:-

a) If its late night, the rates are double or triple (anything more than 200% actually). Their justifications include:-

"Night time, saar"
"I have to return to my stand"
"Petrol costs are high, dnt you know?"
"Nobody else will come, saar!!"
"Police checking saar!!" [Most autos tend to be owned by Police officials themselves, you can easily spot them dealing with their auto goonies late night under certain bridges and dark corners

b) Never, ever, ever board an auto that has an autodriver and his assistant or helper or whatever that fellow likes to call him. This is a potential threat to your safety. Even more so, if you are a woman. I would so love to hear of a woman who goes on to kill a few auto drivers. This city would not mind that, seriously.

c) If you ask them, do you know the place? Their default reply is, "Aama saar, theriyumae" (Yes sir, I know). Fact is they do not know, they are going to take you on a wild goose chase across the city and ensure you lose your marbles and hence pay him whatever he asks for. Might as well, ask him what areas he will touch upon.

d) My mom's favourite reply to unruly price rates from auto drivers: "I asked for the auto fare, not the price of your auto". From time to time, she does change the adjective used before the auto word, use your imagination.

e) Auto drivers are a deprived and depraved lot. They will do anything to harm your conscience or your bosy by any means of torture. Some of them are politically backed. Ideally, there will be no harm if you arm yourself with a jack-knife or something in case your safety is threatened. If you have any more bright ideas, I think this city would welcome it.

f) Auto drivers and many other elements in certain neighborhoods of Chennai are good accessories to crime. They pass on useful knowledge to potential criminals about the people staying in the neighbourhood. The relative ease with which many murders and robberies have happened in areas like Ashok Nagar and KK Nagar are an example of this. Whether the auto rogues do this on purpose or unknowingly, it remains uncertain.

The thing is many a time, Chennai is a great city but people love to use this phrase along with stating the same, "But these autos no ... oh, sheesh, sigh, so on" Well, the auto rogues have lend an identity to this city in addition to many other things. Connectivity may not be a problem in Chennai but it definitely is burning my pockets as well as many others. I dont think a viable solution is possible as well. Many a time, I feel like I am Ash Williams (Evil Dead series protagonist) and the auto rogues are the Army of Darkness. Crazy guys indeed !!

By the way, here is how an American reacted to the Rs200 fare mentioned in the first para:

"You are dis-gust-ING!! You are a fucking liar!! You are such a FUCKING dick"

Need I say more ;)

Regards

Kenny aka Kay-MaaN

PS: There may be exceptions among auto drivers, I dont know, I am yet to meet any :) Feel free to cite incidents of such.

The Loyola Connection

2011-07-09T03:30:00.000-07:00

Yet another Saturday. My youngest sister has recently joined French classes at Alliance Francaise of Madras. She has classes on the Saturdays and Sundays every week. I am in charge of dropping her at the place and picking her up. A very brotherly errand, hehe, so what do I do to kill time? The most frequent thing I end up doing is visiting the Landmark store at Apex Plaza in Nungambakkam, yeah, the one in the basement. I have lost count of the number of books I have come across, some of them old and some of them new. I am glad that I have started reading novels which feature my all time favourite protagonist Sean Dillon - penned by Jack Higgins. One of the salesmen asked me how exactly to pronounce the name. He had a genuine smile after I explained it to him.

Today, I had to do a particular amount transfer (net banking)but before that had to deposit some dough. So, first stop after AFM was ICICI bank at Nungambakkam. After that, I looked at quite a few places in the vicinity for a net cafe or a browsing center. Guess Chennai population has laptops and mobile phones equipped with net aplenty. Finally, with enough time to kill, I decided that the bank transaction can wait. So I went to good ole Loyola College to spend some time. More often that not, I always found myself complaining about the place. But I must admit, given the standards of the country, people who have studied at Loyola are blessed but there is a lot more that the place can offer. Its got huge and breathtaking potential, dont know how many are aware or would agree to my view.

The area where we used to sit outside the college canteen (one next to the railway station beyond the fence) now has a shelter for people to sit under and even have their lunches. That would have been much more welcome had it happened during our time. The roads remain the same, they can so improve it. Guess the Indian behavior that if there is no problem, why fix it mentality runs deep in our veins. Visiting LIBA was fun, so many memories: good, bad and painful ones. All of them was treated with the same expression and feeling from me: a smile and joy. Guess, that was a phase I was destined to go through. There is nothing much you can do about it. Walking the long road towards LIBA reminded me of the days when I had no scooter and used the train and my legs to reach college. Walking alone, was always alone, still am, but I am alive, I am smiling, I am happy :)

Regards

Kenny aka Kay-MaaN

PS: Songs in the backdrop while I blogged this post:

Lady Antebellum - Need You Now
Fountains of Wayne - Stacy's Mom
R.I.O. - Shine On

Goodbye Times

2011-07-01T10:50:00.000-07:00

Well, June 30th was my last day at The Times of India as a Features Writer, nomenclature-wise I was an Editorial Consultant. It was a roller-coaster year and I had to leave at the end of it. I do not know what exactly I should pen down here. Guess, I will make an attempt anyways.

First and foremost, I got to interact with many people. My communication skills was not that great and I had qualms about talking in Tamil with people, all could be attributed to a lack of faith and confidence in myself. I got to meet residents of the suburbs, civic authorities and politicians (oh man, this is an interesting lot, their behaviour can make you laugh) and personalities. Not all of them actually have a righteous nature about them. You do get some kind of respect, I would rather call it pseudo-respect being a media person, but it kinda irks me that not one bit of it is actually genuine.

I made some really good friends. My colleagues at work have helped me at every step of my learning process. There are so many interesting instances I have had with the photojournalists. Going to a distant place with no clue where it is and making the poor camera person go through living hell as he was seated behind me on my scrawny scooter. Running fast and wild to meet deadlines at times. The mad days of production (mine were simpler, there were people who had worse) mostly Thursdays. The marketing jokers (would love to use many other words) would be haggling with the so-called shy-spending stupid clients. Consumerism somehow has not sunk in this place. People do not mind buying and using products of the developed countries but promoting their own - none :) Maybe the quality is disputable, but how will you know unless you allow two-way interaction to happen the buyers and the sellers. Its all word of mouth here, sad indeed !! No wonder, we have so many dufus ads.

Whoa, quite a deviation right. Imagine walking into a workplace where you can talk about anything under the sky, well it was worth it every minute. I had a nice time. The learning part was harsh at times at The Times. Visiting temples was fun, the rituals and traditions of a country that has almost 83 or 85 percentage of Hindus is intriguing to a large extent. I was able to find some tranquility in the midst of all the chaos. Will miss the random talks, the commentary over FIFA and Cricket. Will definitely miss the countless meetings over ideation for many features.

I had to leave owing to monetary reasons. The number of times my generous bank called me reminding me to pay off the education loan that I took for my MBA. I need to close the damn thing, the sooner the better. Hence, I started looking out. The IFMR opportunity came to me one random day, I tried, I got it. Well, with one journey over, another one begins. Lets see where this takes me to.

Regards

Kenny aka Kay-MaaN

Billiards and Texas Hold'Em Poker

2011-06-17T21:19:00.000-07:00

Well, the title is self-explanatory. I am hooked to the above two of late. Thanks to some of my colleagues at work, I now find myself playing billiards and poker (Texas Hold'Em) very often. Also, playing poker has helped me remember the great poker song by Kenny Rogers (Yeah, I am his namesake) called The Gambler. Well, my dad says I was named after the great singer thanks to The Gambler in 1983. So, there lies the story of my name's origin. Wonder, what prompted my dad and mom to remove the 'S' in the name. Kenny Roger, maybe that is where I lost my ability to sing, hehe !!

Kenny Rogers may have sung right about when to hold them and when to fold them. What I do not understand is my uncanny ability to call even when I really dont have a great hand. Whatever said and done, its super fun. Though I lost a small amount of cash, I played the real thing a few days back. The thrill of the same cannot be put in words. The chips, the cards, the flop, the turn and the river. Almost all the time, I am dependent on the turn or the river for a flush or a straight. On at least five or more occasions, I had a full house but I lost to a Four-of-a-kind. Yeah, I cant believe my luck by any means. Its all fun at the end of the day and I am more than glad that I was introduced to the same. Owe to my colleagues at Times of India, Sudhir in particular.

When it comes to billiards or pool, I am mighty impressed and happy that I am able to play something proper these days, considering how I began. I did not even know how to hold the cue stick properly. Now, I am able to give my opponent a fair fight perhaps. Its fun, with the dimly lit surroundings, you narrow your focus to the cue ball and your target, ensuring that the tip of the cue stick makes contact. I never thought I would be able to learn a lot of new things and have fun at the same time. Its a great way to spend time I guess. Fort quite some time now, I have been expecting to find that special someone and have a great time. Now, I realise there is no such thing as a special someone or a soulmate. It is just a make believe concept. The special someone if there is one, is no one but oneself. Yes, simple enough. If you do not love yourself in the first place, why live?

Weird musings, right :) I don't give a darn about what my detractors think, feel free to voice your concern or lack of it. Until I am proven wrong, here's a statement I would like to make: women, at least all the ones I have come across, act pretty or behave as such, when they want you to accomplish something for them. None of them genuinely care for what or who you are. Fair enough perhaps, maybe they are made that way ;)

Regards
Kenny

The New House ... The New Neighbourhood

2011-06-11T09:11:00.000-07:00

Its been a while since my last blog post. I am now a resident of KK Nagar or Kalaignar Karunanidhi Nagar (its a nice place, but I do not wish to say more about a man who once burned the constitution probably because it contained a language he did not comprehend ;) )

On June 5th, I shifted from West Mambalam after 8 years of residing there. During those 8 years, I alone have shifted 6 times. My mom on the other hand has shifted over 20 times since her marriage, I pity her. Unfortunately, on our second day itself, she slipped on the stairs. However, I was there to catch her before she fell face front on the stairs. Now, shifting aint easy. But I am forever grateful to our air-conditioner mechanic Ravi. He brought in a team which had technicians and electricians and what not. Benefits of making a few useful friends I guess. Among his henchmen, there was this hardly four foot guy who could lift an a/c all by himself. Efficient monsters I would say but a nice bunch of blokes. We felt like they were family members, a feeling that is absent when I actually meet some of my relatives in my native place.The whole shifting affair took just one closed truck (No, none of the lousy neighbours got to see what was in the truck, man, did they remind me of scavengers like vultures), Ravi and his entire team on bikes. Mom and Donna came in an auto which was again a member of Ravi's team and timing: just 3 hours ;)

Now, my previous tenants are a new breed of Nazis itself. For all those who are reading this blog. Here's a reminder of an old warning. If you are not a son-of-the-soil (vernacular language speaker), you better come packed with a hell lot of cash to this state. These so-called Chettiars from Devakottai took away 3/4th month's rent from our deposit since we left on the fifth day of June and also gave us a lecture on how to save money. The very structure of the house is a cruel joke. At the new place, I was stunned to see the amount of sunlight pouring in by 6 in the morning. So actually, I lived in darkness for 6 years in this apartment on Jai Sankar Street in West Mambalam. I am so glad that we got out of the place. We gave away 2 bed stands, an old washing machine and some other wares to a maidservant for five thousand rupees. Our esteemed house owners chastised us for selling these at such a low price. They then exhibited their double standards by telling the maidservant that we made her a fool by selling the wares to her at that price when its worth way less. I just hope these so-called house owner and their broker (who is single-handedly responsible for influencing the unnatural rent hike [4,500/month in 2005 to 15,000/month in 2011], he also happens to be a Tambram, guess yet another disgrace to that race) realise the magnitude of their behavior some day unless they wish to end up like that guard Byron Hadley in Shawshank Redemption.

The street I live on connects to Munnusamy Salai of KK Nagar. We have CBS (they fixed my PC, yipee), Anjugam and Banamas as immediate options for restos, Coffee Day and Creamy-Inn, Cake World and Cake Point (I dunno which one is famous). Enough and more ATMs, I can go on and on as I am still discovering this place. Thanks to KK Nagar consisting of 15 sectors and more than 100 streets, I think I have lots of places to see and visit. Our house owners hail from Tuticorin and they are a good lot. Actually, the place was shown to me by a friend of a friend, Manickavel. His dad Vijayavel explained the various nuances of the place in a very polite and friendly manner. I am super glad at the sign of things to come. I do not how long I am going to be staying at this place but I have a really good feeling about this :)

Cheers

Kenny aka Kay-MaaN